I share my photos through several stock photography agencies online. Each one has its own behind-the-scenes features for contributors like me. I’d like to let you in on an interesting feature that I love from one of them. This feature visually illustrates and can show me where in the world my pictures are being bought and downloaded—almost in real time.

How does this look like? There’s a line illustration of a world map and in it pops up in sequence the latest pictures that have been bought—pinned to the place where it was purchased. At the bottom, is a notation of the exact city and the name of the country accompanying each picture as it comes on.

As much as I am very curious to know more about all the sales, the agency protects the buyers’ privacy, which prevents me from knowing more. I only know where the pictures were downloaded. I don’t know who brought it.

I like this feature because it’s quite thrilling to know where my photos are being bought. As the images of the sale pops up, there seems to be no pattern which pictures are brought where. To me, it is just delightful to know that my pictures are of use and value to people all over the world.

Most of the photographs I shoot are still life, concepts, landscapes, among others, from where I am and from where I’ve been. I shoot mostly what’s around me. These are pictures of my world, where I am, with what I have. And while I have done a fair bit of traveling, it’s not as if I’m shooting in all four corners of the world. I’m only photographing where I am at a particular time.

The irony is, while I shoot local, my pictures are being bought internationally. I can only deduce that, one way or the other, my pictures are useful enough that it fills a need. (Hopefully, it’s also because my pictures are quite pretty.)

For years, I had serious reservations about making my pictures available to stock agencies. But realizing the gigantic upheavals in the industry, the shifting business models, and the practical reality of making it as a professional photographer in the competitive digital day and age, it makes sense to tap into this as a sensible means of making my creative output available to people all over the world who might have use for them.

While I continue to accept direct assignments, provide professional consultation on different aspects of photography, specially on international copyright issues, exhibit fine art prints on galleries and museums, and make available exclusive images for download and prints from my online portfolio, being able to reach a truly international audience with their on-demand photographic requirements is quite a fascinating new business model that I am pursuing right now. And seeing pictures pop up on the illustrated map from one of the stock agencies gives me a feeling of accomplishment knowing that my photographic work matters to many people all over the world.

It wasn’t that long ago that I began to develop a growing awareness of the obscene quantity of plastic waste we humans collectively discard. Whichever statistic you come across, the figure is stupefyingly—almost unimaginably—staggering.

I think, like most everybody, the issue became so much more real and significant when National Geographic put out a stunning magazine cover with the now iconic image of what looks like a pristine iceberg, but which, on closer inspection, is actually a clever photo-montage composed mainly from out of a single plastic bag floating in the ocean.

That image shocked me, as I am sure that it did many others. Since then, I decided to start learning more and more about the extent of the damage that plastic pollution has wrought on our planet, specially our seas.

With new consciousness and growing knowledge, it was quite easy for me to personally begin doing something about it—to do my share in minimizing usage and waste—beginning with single-use plastics. I simply started by accounting how much actual plastic waste that I and my family was generating in our household, then figuring out several easy workable steps to deal with them.

That meant simply three things—reduce, reuse, and recycle.

To date, I don’t know how effective my personal efforts are at minimizing plastic waste, if it’s at all making any difference, but I certainly want to do do more and to try more.

That means I need to learn and know more. That also means I should help others to learn and know more as well.

I know so many other people, people I personally know, who have yet to develop awareness about their use of plastic, and so, one of the things I’m doing, whenever I can, is to broach the subject to them.

But as a professional photographer, however, one of the things I believe I can do to help is to contribute to developing awareness of this pressing environmental issue by producing compelling enough photographic visuals that will hopefully help others to see the dire menace of plastic pollution.

This year, I started photographing all sorts of single-use plastic in my photo studio, and spreading these as stock images to different photo and micro stock agencies. You can get some of these pictures here.

Whenever I go on Twitter, I am encouraged that many people are doing their share as well. It is heartening to know that even major corporations are beginning to do their share in reducing plastic waste.

Hopefully, with my pictures of plastics, I am able to add to the growing visual resources that will support the environmental efforts of individual professionals, journalists, influencers, and even you.

I was doing something doggedly on this blog for more than two straight years, and it wasn’t going anywhere.

So, I stopped and took time off to re-think my approach.

Here we are, the year 2018 drawing to a close, with 2019 hot on its heels—the perfect time to prime the “blogging” pump, so to speak.

As you might expect, things didn’t come to a complete standstill when I stopped blogging.

In fact, I actually got very busy doing all sort of stuff. As they say, life happened:

This is an Apple AirPod case from Moore & Giles, one of the photo images I recently posted on my constantly updated Instagram account.

I had a one-man museum fine art photography show featuring large color print formal portraits of 24 Filipina women I admire in little community in the United States. It turned out to be the most well-attended exhibition opening in the museum’s history. And I count myself lucky to have received so much support for this month-long exhibit.

I got myself a couple of drones and started flying these damn things all over the place. And yes, it’s a lot of fun.

I revisited and re-evaluated the stock photography industry and thought it best to jump into the fray once more (with the right approach, this time) through Getty, Adobe, Shutterstock, and Alamy.

I made sure that my official online portfolio is regularly updated, all the while keeping up with my social media game on Instagram and elsewhere.

I also made sure to brush up, advance and refine my knowledge stock and skills set. I picked up a couple of certificates—one from New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, and another from Duke University, Emory University, and The University of North Carolina on Chapel Hill. I also re-learned Photoshop, Lightroom, InDesign, Premiere Pro, and others.

I’ve beefed up my professional photography gear for both in-studio and location work with lots of significant upgrades.

Best of all, I think—I picked up more gigs.

Not bad, eh, for the things I was able to do. But the question begs to be asked: What for? Well, I can only think of one answer, then and now—for the love of it!

It’s no secret that photos of menu items undergo retouching to make them look more presentable and appetizing. Similar to many other food brands, McDonald’s applies these edits to its ads.

This particular story shows you before-and-after image retouching of some of McDonald's menu items. That's what the title says. And they show pictures too. And yet, I can't help but feel the author is making some kind of statement, a dare of some kind if you will.

I’m on Instagram, along with millions of others. On my small corner at least, I am very active on Instagram. I post pictures on Instagram at least once a day. And on many days, I post more than one photo.

I can’t tell you exactly how I got hooked on Instagram, but I am. I realized, not long ago, that I’ve been posting a bunch of photos. Not dumping just any picture or anything like that, but curated photographic images from the so many that I’m always taking with different cameras, and posting them for for all to see.

What kind of pictures will you see on my Instagram?

Well, there are many different types.

You’ll see: pictures of amazing places from my frequent travels (consider it my “wish-you-were-here” postcards), pictures of savory food that I enjoy (occasionally, food that I cooked myself at home), pictures of awesome products that I love to collect and use and want to share with you (such as fountain pens, headphones, Apple stuff and Apple-y things, among others), pictures that are intended as fine art photographic images in black-and-white and full color (something that you might want to hang on your home and office walls), and then there are also pictures of some of my commercial and advertising work (many of which are outtakes from studio and on-location photo shoots that I’ve done). And, of course, every once in a while, I shoot and post very experimental photos--something quite strange, something quite different.

I enjoy sharing pictures on Instagram. And I would like it very much if you take a look at them.

Also, I would like it if you can tell your friends to take a look as well.

And, if you’re on Instagram, we can definitely hook up with each other and check out each other’s photos. I've made so many fascinating connections with so many awesome people from all over the world.

On the Instagram app, look me up and add me — @dominiquejames.

By the way, as much as I enjoy posting photos online for all to see, I also very much enjoy looking at the amazing pictures that you and everyone else post online. It's an awesome experience to see what everyone else is up to, pictorially speaking, that is!

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"I believe there is no more creative medium than photography to recreate the living world of our time...Photography gladly accepts the challenge because it is at home in its element: namely, realism—real life—the now."

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